Degree of disability (GdB)
The degree of disability (GdB for short) is a measure of the impairment of an individual in everyday life due to the consequences of illness. The obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome can also have far-reaching consequences for those affected and its effects can be partially recognized with the help of GdB. There are some guidelines for this, which can be used as a rough guide.
An obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome without the need for nocturnal ventilation can be credited with up to GdB 10, while CPAP and BIPAP therapy are recognized with up to GdB 20. If a therapy is not possible or the condition remains poor despite exhausted therapy measures, this can lead to recognition of a severe disability (i.e. GdB 50). However, all factors of a patient must always be taken into account when determining the GdB, in order to be able to present as complete a picture as possible of all functional impairments. The above-mentioned values should therefore only be regarded as guidelines.
Diagnosis
A sleep laboratory examination is used for the reliable diagnosis of sleep apnoea syndrome. The patient sleeps one night in the sleep laboratory and during sleep, in addition to the brain waves, the oxygen content of the blood, the frequency of breathing, pulse and blood pressure as well as the flow of respiration are measured. With all this information, an overall picture of the body function during sleep can be obtained for a patient with sleep apnoea syndrome.
In addition, sleep apnea syndrome patients need to see their ear, nose and throat doctor, who will examine the patient for possible breathing impediments: Nasal polyps, very large pharyngeal tonsils, an inclined nasal septum or a very large tongue can lead to breathing problems during sleep and are therefore called “breathing impediments”. If there is sufficient suspicion of the presence of an obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, it is possible to diagnose it on an outpatient basis using so-called non-laboratory monitoring systems (NLMS). These are compact devices that record parameters such as breathing sounds, oxygen saturation in the blood, heart rate and respiratory flow (nasal flow) during the night that the affected person spends at home. The data are evaluated in the doctor’s office or in a sleep laboratory. In addition, this diagnosis can also be carried out in a sleep laboratory where one or two nights are spent and, in addition to the above-mentioned data, an EEG (electro-encephalogram, recording of brain waves), long-term blood pressure, heart waves (ECG) and video recordings can be made (polysomnography).
